How To: Be Ironic

A common form of verbal irony is sarcasm, where the difference lies between what is said and what is meant. While some people believe sarcasm lacks subtlety or wit, it is actually a clever way to be ironic. With sarcasm, the importance of delivery is paramount. Nowadays, many people add an emphasis that ought to be absent. Deadpan delivery enhances its effectiveness, and the subversive use of language can be a subtle (and funny) way of using irony.

Telling a woman in a deadpan tone, “You sure don’t take long to get ready,” after she has spent an hour doing her make-up, is an example of sarcastic irony. Sarcasm can be more difficult to use than many forms of irony, because it has the capacity to sound like an insult. Our example illustrates this point, and we would urge care in how you employ this ironic device.

Verbal irony also makes use of other rhetorical devices, such as hyperbole (“That was the best party ever”) and understatement (“It’s no big deal, it’s only going to kill you”). While these can be types of irony, the emphasis of the speaker is important in order to express irony. For this reason, being familiar enough with these nuanced techniques will mean your listener can understand your ironic intention.

Ironic TV viewing The phrase “It’s so bad it’s good” is often used as an explanation by people who watch TV ironically. The irony is derived from being entertained, not by the storyline or the acting, but by how terrible it really is If, however, you actually enjoy the hyperbolic drama, or the ridiculous plot, or the ham-acting, you are not viewing it ironically.

When not to be ironic

It is not and never will be ironic to have 10 thousand spoons when all you need is a knife — that’s just poor planning. Rain on your wedding day is not ironic, it’s unlucky. A traffic jam when you are already late is a pain in the ass, but it’s not ironic. A black fly in your chardonnay is also not ironic, although certainly unpleasant.

our chronic misuse of ironic

While Alanis Morissette clearly struggled to grasp the concept of irony, the vague and varied definitions of it make her problem understandable. We have provided a number of ways in which you can use irony in your every day life, accurately and artfully. Absorb it, apply it and before long you can be a master of irony, although you may still need to learn how to get creases out of your clothes.